Star Wars actress Daisy Ridley reveals she keeps Star Wars secrets from her boyfriend and how she deals with sudden fame
The 25-year-old was virtually unknown when she was picked to star in the 2015 Star Wars film
STAR WARS actress Daisy Ridley has told how she needed the Force with her to keep the latest epic’s secrets – and revealed she did not even tell her boyfriend.
The 25-year-old, who returns as heroine Rey in new instalment The Last Jedi, was sworn to secrecy about the plot twists and turns that are set to thrill fans.
Daisy, who is dating her Murder on the Orient Express co-star Tom Bateman, refused his pleas for “spoilers” for months during filming.
But she admitted it had been a struggle not to tell all.
She said: “You get used to the secrecy to the point where you don’t even think about it any more, as you know you can’t say anything.
“Some of the Orient Express cast, including Tom, were trying to get details out of me but I was well behaved and told them nothing.
“Dame Judi Dench was another one, which was surreal. One of the all-time great British actresses and one of my inspirations was trying to get information out of me.”
London-born Daisy, who dropped out of university to concentrate on acting, was a virtual unknown when she was hand-picked for the lead role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015.
But being catapulted to global stardom almost overnight by joining the sci-fi franchise was so overwhelming that she had therapy to help her cope.
‘Carrie didn’t want dates to say they had sex with Leia’
She said: “I’m not sure I will ever call my life normal now but I suppose you would say I am getting used to a new normal.
“Still sometimes the pressure will get too much and I will be crying to my mum on the phone, but it’s getting better.
“I think it’s made me realise that the little things in life are actually the big things, and that a hug from Mum and a proper cup of tea makes the world good again.
“But I also think we shouldn’t be afraid to talk about our feelings if we feel depressed or anxious.
“Adjusting to what it means to be in Star Wars was hard and I needed to talk it through with somebody.”
She added: “Self-esteem in teenagers is a cause that is very close to my heart.
“I just want every teenager out there who is worried about things to know it’s all going to be OK.
“The world can be such a daunting place for young people, with pressure, expectation, image concerns, but ultimately it’s always OK and I believe we all end up where we should.”
Daisy admits that at first she struggled with the role of Jakku scavenger Rey in other ways too — she found wielding a lightsaber tougher than it looks. But after a lot of practice she reckons she is now a seasoned pro with every schoolboy’s favourite weapon.
Asked how she found returning to her character, Daisy said: “At first it’s a little strange getting back into it, thinking, ‘Where is the character going to go?’
“But the brilliance of the writing makes it so much easier.
“And I felt much more confident fighting with a lightsaber in my scenes this time round. I’ve done a lot of intense training, so I felt a lot stronger and more capable with it.”
The Last Jedi will be all the more poignant for Star Wars fans because it features the final scenes from screen legend Carrie Fisher. She achieved global stardom as icon Princess Leia and had been set to reprise the role before she died last December, aged just 60.
She became seriously ill on a flight from London to Los Angeles and died after four days in intensive care.
The film’s producer, Kathleen Kennedy, has revealed that General Organa — as Princess Leia was later known — had been set to play a far bigger role in the films to come.
And Daisy, who grew close to Carrie after she took her under her wing on set, told how the Star Wars veteran had helped her to come to terms with the demands of fame.
She said: “It is important that we honour Carrie. Not only is she Star Wars royalty, but she was an amazing person who I am incredibly fortunate to have known.
“I could talk all day about the advice she gave me.
“There were times through it all when I felt like I was shrinking. She told me never to shrink away from it, that it should be enjoyed.
“But she did tell me she had found dating very hard.
“She admitted she never wanted to give people the ability to say, ‘I had sex with Princess Leia’.”
Daisy is now based mainly in New York, but travelled to a series of far-flung places while filming for The Last Jedi, including Utah, Bolivia and Croatia.
And while she says she loves exploring exotic locations, she insists that nowhere comes close to equalling Britain.
She said: “I do miss England. I am so fortunate that I get to see so many amazing places around the world but there is nowhere like home.
“I spend a lot of time in New York and I am probably one of the few Brits living abroad who actually misses British weather.
“What do I miss the most? Aside from friends and family, obviously, I really miss Marmite as well.
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“And Keeping Up Appearances, which is absolutely hilarious and always makes me smile.
“They do show it over here in the States sometimes, but I have no idea what Americans make of it.”
Star Wars: The Last Jedi will be in cinemas from Thursday.